This will give the dwarf a legendary-level skill (specifically, 'legendary+1' or higher, depending on the dwarf's initial skill level). Fell and Macabre moods will either claim a butcher's shop and use Bonecarving, or a tanner's shop and use Tanning (see Types of moods, below).Ī dwarf will claim a workshop according to their highest applicable skill, and upon completion of the artifact, gain 20,000 experience in that skill (excepting possessed dwarves). If struck by a Fey, Secretive or Possessed mood, the workshop and artifact will be based on the highest 'moodable skill' that a dwarf possesses.

They have the same properties and quality as any artifact your fortress could have produced, and may be stolen or pillaged just like any other non-player artifact. These events are a primary source of non-player artifacts that are scattered across the outside world when the game starts (see Mission). Long before your seven dwarves embark on their adventure, non-player dwarves may also be struck by strange moods during world generation, albeit these are treated more abstractly.

The conditions necessary for a strange mood to occur have been fully understood due to a disassembly of the game see below for the exact mechanics.

While you have some control over the skill the dwarf uses, and so some (but less) control over the type of artifact created, and (with some effort) the materials used, you have no control over which dwarf is struck by a mood, nor the type of mood that strikes them, nor the specific type of artifact created.

See the skills and workshops for information on which skills can be gained, or the artifacts created section for more details on the artifacts themselves. Upon completion, the dwarf will create a semi-random artifact related to the skill affected and gain legendary (or higher) status in that skill (unless the mood type is possessed).

Once all materials have been gathered, the game will once again pause and center, and the moody dwarf will begin construction.

In other words, you have to determine where they are on the list of required materials and then provide the next one before they will continue collecting other materials. Important Note: They will only collect these materials in the order that they require them. Reference the demands section to determine what may be required. If the dwarf remains idle inside the workshop, it's because they cannot find the right material.

After claiming a workshop, the dwarf will set about collecting the required materials for their artifact.

(See skills and workshops below to determine which workshop(s) might be required.) A moody dwarf will not be able to build a needed workshop another dwarf with the appropriate labor designation must do so for them, if one is necessary. If a moody dwarf does not claim a workshop, it is because the appropriate workshop does not exist.

For the duration of the mood, the dwarf will claim a workshop related to the skill that the mood affects (not all skills are eligible), kick out any dwarf who was using it, and render it otherwise unusable until the mood has ended.

While in a mood, a dwarf will display a blinking exclamation point (see status icons).

The game will pause, center on a dwarf, and announce that the dwarf has entered one of five different types of strange moods.

The 'possessed' mood is an exception to this rule, as it does not grant any experience upon completion.Ī dwarf cannot be struck by more than one mood in their lifetime.

Depending on the exact mood (see types of moods, below), both the workshop and the artifact are based on the highest 'moodable skill' of that dwarf (see ' Skills and Workshops', below).Īt the end of this process, if successful, the dwarf will usually gain enough experience to become Legendary (or higher), and then return to life as normal, but now with a Legendary skill. These largely random events will be seen as an announcement, and will pause the game.Ī dwarf struck by a strange mood will seek an appropriate workshop, immediately claim it for the duration of the mood, attempt to collect the materials to create their artifact of choice, and, once those have been collected, proceed to do so. Once your fortress has at least 20 dwarves, every now and then, one of them will be struck by a 'strange mood'.

Dwarf fortress butcher shop